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Posts tagged Lamar Odom
Kobe Powers Lakers Past Timberwolves for 8-0
11.10.10
Kobe Bryant drives to basket against Timberwolves.
The Los Angeles Lakers matched the second-best start in franchise history at 8-0, with a sloppy 99-94 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Staples Center on Tuesday.
Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 33 points, including 23 of them in the first half. He hit only 3-13 from the field in the second half, as the Lakers were never able to put the pesky Timberwolves away until the final minute of the game. Bryant bounced back from a sub-par game on Sunday against the Trail Blazers when he scored just 12 points on 3-11 shooting.
Pau Gasol had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Lamar Odom shook off a foul-plagued evening, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds in just under 27 minutes of play. Ron Artest added 13 points.
The biggest star of the night though was former UCLA standout Kevin Love, who scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds for the Timberwolves. It was the second 20/20 game of Love’s career. Michael Beasley scored 17 points, and Sebastian Telfair added 13 points and 9 assists for the visitors, who lost to the Lakers for the 12th straight time.
The young Timberwolves, led by former Laker coach and player Kurt Rambis, fought the defending champs all game long, and even cut a seemingly-secure 11-point Laker lead to eight in the final seconds of the third quarter on a half-court heavy by Maurice Ager. The Wolves closed to within two late in the fourth, before Lamar Odom hit a 3-pointer and then a driving layup to give the Lakers an 94-87 lead, as they hung on for the win.
It was a lethargic performance by the Lakers, who were coming off a strong win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, and may have very well looking past the young Timberwolves towards their Thursday night battle in Denver. The game was marred by sloppy play as the Wolves turned the ball over 27 times, and the Lakers had 18.
The Lakers were also dominated on the glass for the second time in three games, as the Timberwolves held a 54-42 rebounding edge, including 26 on the offensive end. The second chances helped the visitors hang in a game where they shot just 38.0% from the field.
The Lakers try to move to 9-0 on Thursday, facing their toughest test of the young season against the Nuggets in Denver. The Lakers best start in franchise history is 11-0, accomplished by the 1997-98 team that went on to win 61 games.
Pau Gasol: Greatest Steal in NBA History
10.01.10
After losing in the Finals in 2004, the Lakers traded Shaq to Miami and missed the playoffs the following season. The following season, the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after leading the series 3-1. In the 2007 playoffs, the Lakers were again eliminated by the Phoenix Suns, this time in 5 games. A few weeks later, Kobe Bryant requested to be traded, saying he’d go play on Pluto. He then waffled on the issue, saying that he hoped the Lakers would improve the team personnel so that he could remain in Los Angeles. Rumors abounded about possible deals and trade packages over the summer. Sometimes the best trades are those that are never made. The Lakers opened the season losing at home to Houston. The starters were Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Kwame Brown, Ronny Turiaf and Luke Walton. Jordan Farmar, Andrew Bynum, Maurice Evans, Brian Cook, Chris Mihm and Coby Karl came off the bench. Also on the roster were Vladimir Radmanovic, Lamar Odom, Sasha Vujacic and Javaris Crittenton. The Lakers started the season 25-11 before Andrew Bynum dislocated his kneecap and missed the rest of the season. The Lakers then went 3-5. Then on February 1, the Lakers traded Brown, Crittenton, Aaron McKie (who was an assistant coach with Philadelphia), the draft rights to Marc Gasol, a 2008 1st round pick (Donte Green) and a 2010 1st round pick (Greivis Vasquez) for Pau Gasol and a 2010 2nd round pick (Devin Ebanks). After Gasol joined the team, the Lakers finished 22-5, ending the season with the best record in the Western Conference and 3rd best overall. Although they lost to the Celtics in the finals, the Lakers were certainly back in championship form. They have now won back-to-back titles, and should be favored to reach the finals again this season, for the fourth consecutive year. With Pau, the team received a 27 year old, 7 foot All Star who plays center and power forward. The Grizzlies received a very unpopular Laker, an unneeded guard, an unsigned player, another team’s coach, and two late round picks. Maybe San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich is right, and there should be a committee to “scratch all trades that make no sense”. I can’t think of another NBA trade so lopsided as this one, where the impact was significant and immediate. Of course, it must have made some kind of sense to Memphis at the time. Here is an excellent article on the trade:
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/31/sports/la-sp-lakers-gasol31-2010jan31
LAKER ROSTER: Lamar Odom
09.23.10
Lamar Odom, a 6’10” 30 year old forward remains the most enigmatic of players. He may give you a double double in points and rebounds, or he may have so few as you can count them on one hand. I believe his inconsistent play frustrates fans, his teammates, coaches, and management. The double-edged sword here is that his potential, like Andrew Bynum’s, is great enough that every trade rumor features him, and his salary is great enough that you could envision the Lakers doing it. Growing up in New York, his favorite player was Magic Johnson. And in his youth, Odom was an AAU teammate of Elton Brand and Ron Artest; his friendship with Ron-Ron would be another reason to keep him a Laker. Lamar was drafted by the Clippers after playing at Rhode Island, then spent one year in Miami. He came to the Lakers with Brian Grant and Caron Butler when Shaq was traded to the Heat. This will be his 12th season in the NBA. He is the Lakers 6th man and his main role is back-up to Pau Gasol at power forward position. He’s also capable of playing minutes at the small forward. Last season, he played in all 82 games, 38 as a starter, and averaged 11 points and 10 rebounds. This summer he was a major contributor on the US Team that won the gold medal in Turkey. He also has a bronze medal from the 2004 Athens Olympics. In case you hadn’t heard, he’s married to Khloe Kardashian.
Lakers Trying to Land Artest?
07.11.08
According to the Sacramento Bee, the Lakers have contacted the Kings about a trade for mercurial forward Ron Artest.
Details of the deal are sketchy, but it appears the Lakers are offering Lamar Odom for Artest, and forward Kenny Thomas. The Kings would love to get rid of Thomas’ $18 million salary over the next two years, but it’s questionable whether the Lakers would take that on considering they are already over the salary cap.
It is also very questionable whether the Kings would agree to make a trade with the Lakers considering the teams’ intense dislike for each other, and the fact they reside in the same division. Odom’s $14-million salary does come of the books after next season, which does make him an attractive trade piece.
It’s no secret that Artest likes the Lakers and is good friends with Kobe Bryant. The Lakers could definitely use his perimeter defense and tenacity on that end of the court. He’s also a dependable scorer and can hit from beyond the 3-point line.
Stay tuned for further developments if something should break.
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